Development and Evaluation of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assay for Rapid Detection of Pistachio (Pistacia vera) in Food Samples

Pistachio consumption has increased significantly, mostly due to their potential health effects and their good organoleptic properties. However, pistachio is also an important food allergen and therefore, it is necessary to develop an appropriate method to detect this nut in foodstuffs. In this work, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting Pis V 1 allergen coding gene was developed. The developed LAMP assay performed high specificity for pistachio and had no cross-reactions with cashew, mango, walnut, almonds, macadamia nut, hazelnut, peanut, and soybean. The assay can detect at least 10 pg of purified pistachio genomic DNA and 10 mg kg(-1) of pistachio nuts in binary mixtures. The autoclave treatment influenced the amplificability of pistachio; however, this impact was not found after boiling treatment. Practical applicability of the developed LAMP assay has been analyzed by testing different commercial foods and this method may be useful for rapid detection of pistachio in foodstuffs.